The Straight Dope: Was Wild Bill Hickok holding the "dead man's hand" when he was slain? A Straight Dope Classic from Cecil's Storehouse of Human Knowledge Was Wild Bill Hickok holding the "dead man's hand" when he was slain? May 5, 1978 Dear Cecil: On a recent pilgrimage to Troy Grove, Illinois to visit the home of Wild Bill Hickok, one of our company happened to mention that according to legend Wild Bill was shot while holding "black aces and eights." This hand has come to be known as the "dead man's hand." Is the story apocryphal, and if it is true, what was the fifth card in Wild Bill's hand? — Larry N., Chicago Cecil replies: You've settled on one of the few bits of Western lore that has some basis in fact. Wild Bill was indeed holding black aces and eights when he was plugged by Jack McCall on the fateful day of August 2, 1876, in the charming suburb of Deadwood, deep in the Dakota Territory. Bill's fifth card was the deuce of spades, which must have made for a pretty grim-looking hand.

I'm surprised he didn't commit suicide. John Ford got things a little confused when he tried to lay the curse of the Dead Man's Hand on one of the heavies in the movie Stagecoach. Poor Luke Plummer found himself holding the appropriate black eights, but one of his aces was red — diamonds, to be specific. Luke's fifth card was the queen of hearts, all of which made for a much nicer composition than the real thing. John Wayne offed him anyway. Update Further investigation has cast doubt on whether Wild Bill Hickok was holding the "dead man's hand." SamClem of the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board provides this report: The idea that Wild Bill Hickok was holding black aces and eights when he was killed comes to us from Frank J. Wilstach, whose biography Wild Bill Hickok: The Prince of Pistoleers was published in 1926. Wilstach's was the most throughly researched and accurate account of Hickok's life that had appeared up to that time. He corresponded with people who had known Hickok, including Ellis T. "Doc" Peirce, who at the time of the killing was the Deadwood town barber.

After Hickok was shot, the authorities locked the doors to the saloon in which the killing occurred and called on Peirce to prepare the body for burial. Wilstach writes: In his letter to the writer Mr. Peirce gives several details that have not heretofore been revealed. Doc Peirce was the impromptu undertaker who took charge of the remains and looked after the details of the burial. “Now, in regard to the position of Bill’s body,” writes Mr. Peirce, “when they unlocked the door for me to get his body, he was lying on his side, with his knees drawn up just as he slid off his stool. We had no chairs in those days — and his fingers were still crimped from holding his poker hand. Charlie Rich, who sat beside him, said he never saw a muscle move. Bill’s hand read ‘aces and eights’ — two pair, and since that day aces and eights have been know as ‘the dead man’s hand’ in the Western country. It seemed like fate, Bill’s taking off.

Of the murderer’s big Colt’s-45-six-gun, every chamber loaded, the cartridge that killed Bill was the only one that would fire. What would have been McCall’s chances if he had snapped one of the other cartridges when he sneaked up and held his gun to Bill’s head? He would now be known as No. 37 on the file list of Mr. Hickok.” This account, published 50 years after the murder, was the first to link Hickok to the "dead man's hand." It remains the only indication we have of what cards he was holding — no corroboration has ever turned up. In Wild Bill Hickok: The Man and his Myth (1996), Joseph Rosa, a prolific Hickok biographer, writes: Despite some intensive research, no contemporary reference has been found to the hand of cards Hickok was holding when he was shot. In later years, however, the hand was to become immortalized as the "Deadman's Hand" and was reported to consist of the ace of spades, the ace of clubs, two black eights, clubs and spades, and the jack of diamonds.

But the last card is disputed — some sources suggest it was the queen of diamonds … The origin of Hickok's Deadman's Hand may be found in the correspondence between Ellis T. Peirce and Frank J. Wilstach. According to Peirce, "Bill's hand read 'aces and eights' — two pair, and since that day aces and eights have been known as 'the dead man's hand' in the western country." Further research into the legend of the Deadman's Hand has revealed an ongoing argument between vested interests in the Black Hills and others interested in perpetuating an air of "destiny" or "fate" concerning Hickok's poker hand. The expression "dead man's hand" appears to have had some currency in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, although no one connected it to Hickok until the appearance of Wilstach's book.

Members of the American Dialect Society have collected numerous cites from newspapers and books, the earliest from 1886: 1886 — Dead Man's Hand = three jacks and a pair of tens (Grand Forks [Dakota Territory] Daily Herald, July 1) 1898 — jacks and eights (Eau Claire [Wisconsin] Leader, November 3) 1900 — tens and treys (Trenton [New Jersey] Times, May 22) 1900 — aces and eights are called "the gambler's hand" (Waterloo [Iowa] Daily Courier, April 25) 1900 — dead man's hand = aces and eights (Cedar Falls [Iowa] Gazette, May 1) 1903 — "Jacks and sevens are called 'the dead man's hand.' In a poker game, it is very unlucky to hold them and win the pot" ( Encyclopaedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences , volume 2, Cora Linn Morrison Daniels et al, editors) 1907 — "

Dead man's hand.

Jacks and eights, at poker" ( Hoyle's Games ) 1922 — "'Yes," he said slowly, 'aces and eights. That was queer, wasn't it? The dead man's hand'" ( The Boy Grew Older by Heywood Broun) 1924 — "He picked up his cards, two black aces, two eights of the same color, and a red queen. The dead man's hand, in the game's parlance" ( Everybody's Magazine , volume 50). The fact that there was no agreement on the cards in the "dead man's hand" until late in the day makes it unlikely anyone had definite knowledge of what cards Hickok held. Possibly Peirce's original letter would shed more light; it may be among Wilstach's papers, which are in the New York Public Library. So far, no one has looked. (Posted September 14, 2010) — Cecil Adams What is the Dead Man's Hand? - DAVID MEYER DAVID MEYER What is the Dead Man’s Hand?

Posted on by David Meyer On August 2, 1876, Wild Bill Hickok was playing poker in Deadwood, South Dakota. Suddenly, a pistol fired. Hickok died instantly. His hand at the time, “aces and eights,” has become known as the Dead Man’s Hand. But is that a legend? Or is it real? Wild Bill Hickok James Butler Hickok was originally known as “Duck Bill,” apparently due to a large nose and an upper lip that jutted out from his face. Eventually, he grew a mustache and in 1861, adopted the moniker, Wild Bill. His exploits in the Old West were legendary. He was a skilled scout and an expert marksman. He fought and killed a bear with his bare hands, suffering severe injuries in the process. He killed Davis Tutt in the first known “quick draw duel.” He acted in a play called Scouts of the Plains with Buffalo Bill Cody and Texas Jack Omohundro. Calamity Jane, the famous American frontierswoman, claimed to have married him. In July 1876, Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane arrived in Deadwood, South Dakota via wagon train.

Some say he had a premonition of sorts regarding his impending death. “Well, as to that, I suppose I am called a red-handed murderer, which I deny. That I have killed men I admit, but never unless in absolute self-defense or in the performance of an official duty. I never in my life took any mean advantage of an enemy. Yet, understand, I never allowed a man to get the drop on me. But perhaps I may yet die with my boots on.” ~ Wild Bill Hickok to Mrs. Annie Tallent, Several months before his death, Pioneer Days in the Back Hills, John S. McClintock On August 2, 1876, Wild Bill Hickok entered Nuttal & Mann’s Saloon No. 10. He usually sat with his back to the wall. However, the only available stool required him to put his back to the door. He sat down and started to play five-card-draw. But he was uncomfortable with the arrangement and twice, asked another player named Charles Rich to switch stools with him. Rich refused. Dead Man’s Hand During the game, a former buffalo hunter named John McCall strode into the saloon.

He parked himself a few feet away from Hickok and drew his pistol. “Take that!” he shouted as he fired it. The bullet careened through Hickok’s skull and Wild Bill died instantly. According to popular legend, Hickok held two black aces and two black eights at the time of his death. The fifth card, or kicker, is a source of mystery. Some claim it was the queen of clubs. Others say it was the nine of diamonds, the jack of diamonds, the five of diamonds, or the queen of hearts. Still others say no fifth card ever existed, suggesting Hickok was in the middle of drawing a new card when he was murdered. But what about the “aces and eights” part? Is that accurate? Well, no contemporary sources exist that indicate what cards Hickok was holding at the time of his death. “Aces and eights” was provided by Frank J. Wilstach in his 1926 book, Wild Bill Hickok: The Prince of Pistoleers.

Wilstach quoted “Doc” Peirce, the town barber, who was asked to serve as an “impromptu undertaker.” “Now, in regard to the position of Bill’s body, when they unlocked the door for me to get his body, he was lying on his side, with his knees drawn up just as he slid off his stool. We had no chairs in those days — and his fingers were still crimped from holding his poker hand. Charlie Rich, who sat beside him, said he never saw a muscle move. Bill’s hand read ‘aces and eights’ — two pair, and since that day aces and eights have been known as ‘the dead man’s hand’ in the Western country.” ~ Ellis T. “Doc” Peirce, Wild Bill Hickok: The Prince of Pistoleers This account was published 50 years after Hickok’s death. It has yet to be collaborated by any outside source. Guerrilla Explorer’s Take If Peirce was right, then aces and eights was known as the dead man’s hand in “the Western country.” However, newspapers from that location and period tell a different story.

The first known mention of a Dead Man’s Hand, a July 1, 1886 article in the Grand Forks Daily Herald, not only disagrees with the Hand itself but also its origin. “I was present at a game in a Senator’s house one night and saw him win $6,000 on one hand. It was the dead man’s hand. What is the dead man’s hand? Why, it is three jacks and a pair of tens. It is called the dead man’s hand because about forty seven years ago, in a town in Illinois, a celebrated judge bet his house and lot on three jacks and a pair of tens…When his opponent showed up he had three queens and a pair of tens. Upon seeing the queens the judge fell back dead, clutching the jacks and tens in his hand, and that’s why a jack-full on tens is called the dead man’s hand.” ~ Grand Forks Daily Herald, July 1, 1886 Later accounts show different versions, including jacks and eights, tens and treys (threes), and jacks and sevens. Regardless, none of these articles connect the Dead Man’s Hand to Wild Bill Hickok.

At this point, the definitive origin of the Dead Man’s Hand remains an unsolved mystery. If the Wild Bill Hickok story could be proved by contemporary sources, it would be the oldest known version of the legend. For those of you in the New York area, consider taking a trip down to the New York Public Library. That’s where Wilstach’s papers are located . Perhaps there’s some additional information in “Doc” Peirce’s letter. Or maybe, just maybe, there’s some other evidence waiting to be found. If you find anything, let us know and we’ll cover your discovery right here on Guerrilla Explorer. Who knows? You just might solve one of history’s most puzzling unsolved mysteries! Dead Man's Hand - TV Tropes Dead Man's Hand You need to login to do this. Get Known if you don't have an account Share WMG The alleged Trope Namer on display at the No. 10 Saloon, in Deadwood, South Dakota. A Dead Man's Hand, also known as "aces and eights", is a poker hand containing two black aces and two black eights.

It was supposedly the hand drawn by Wild Bill Hickok before his death, although this is unsubstantiated. (No-one knows what his fifth card was; there are various conflicting claims as to what it was, and some believe he discarded it to draw another, but was shot before he could make the new draw.) This hand is now considered unlucky, despite being better than over 95% of five-card hands. It is the lowest/weakest hand in poker to have a name. In modern fiction, this particular hand is often used as a type of Portent of Doom , often signifying that the character who drew it is soon to die. Particularly likely to be found in The Western . For cards that are literally deadly, see Death Dealer . If you're looking for the book in the Wild Cards series, it's here . Not to be confused with the Old West tabletop RPG, Aces & Eights . Examples: open/close all folders Comic Books In the prologue of Batman RIP , Batman speaks to The Joker in Arkham Asylum. The Joker taunts Batman with his upcoming destruction while dealing out a dead man's hand.

This doubles as a Stealth Pun ; the eighth letter of the alphabet is H; the manner the Joker dealt the cards spelled out "HAHA". In the appropriately-named Spider-Man one-shot comic-book Spider-Man: Dead Man's hand, a coroner turns himself into the third - and most powerful - version of Carrion, and unleashes a disease on New York using a virus that turns people into zombie-like creatures under his control. The only clue is his gloating of "aces and eights" right after turning himself into Carrion. (After Spidey consults the High Evolutionary, who was a mentor to Miles Warren, who created the original Carrion, it turns out that the virus alters the first and eighth gene of the human genome, which is important in finding the cure for it.) In one Justice Society of America comic, the villain Sportsmaster deals a dead man's hand, which he proceeds to throw at the heroes ( the cards being razor-edged ). Film - Live-Action In Stagecoach , Luke holds this hand. He is shortly therafter gunned down by the Ringo Kid. In The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance , the titular character Liberty draws this hand right before being shot.

In Along Came a Spider , aces and eights is referenced as the winning hand that gave ownership of a Turkish hand-made shotgun to the father of Agent Flannigan and later in the feature was the clue that revealed her involvement with the kidnapping plot. The opening scene of Dick Tracy shows several gangsters are playing poker in a warehouse, and one of them mentions "aces and eights" several times — right before Big Boy's goons bust in and gun them all down. Literature Dead Man's Hand is the name of the seventh book of the Wild Cards series by George R.R. Martin . Aces are the murderer's literal calling card. Alluded to in the title of Final Destination : Dead Man's Hand. The fifth book of the Kitty Norville series is named this. Considering the title character is nearly killed by Ax-Crazy bounty hunters, then sacrificed to a dark chaotic Babylonian Cult , the Portent of Doom aspect is apt. It also references the Big Bad of the overall series who first appears in that book, a vampire (a "dead man") whose hand is behind everything . In the novelization of the movie Dick Tracy , the opening scene with the gangsters playing poker is expanded.

One of them draws this hand, and folds immediately after showing a bout of fear. The rest call him a fool, saying he could have won with that hand. (One of them saying, "This ain't Deadwood and you ain't Wild Bill Hickok.") Unfortunately, a few minutes later, Flattop and the other mobsters storm in with guns blazing, as they did in the movie. The J.T. Edson short story "Deadwood August 2nd 1876" in J.T.'s Hundredth is a fictionalised account of the killing of Wild Bill Hickcok. In it, he has just discarded his fith card and is reaching for another when he is shot. The novel The Armageddon Rag by George R.R. Martin focuses on the fictional 1960s rock band Nazgûl. One of its songs, "Prelude to Madness", contains the chorus "Queens beat aces every time, yeah! Dead man's hand, dead man's hand!

And Charlie is the joker in the deck!" Live-Action TV The X-Files episode "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose", has the titlular character playing poker with Agent Scully and holding a full house of aces and eights with the ace of hearts as the fifth card. As one might suspect from the episode name, he dies. Surprisingly averted in Deadwood , which featured Wild Bill as a character and dramatizes his murder at the hands of Jack McCall, but does not show what cards he was holding, possibly because there is little solid evidence that Hickok really was holding such a hand. Mythology and Folklore The Tarot deck is the parent of the deck of cards used for gambling. The numbered suit cards have a one-for-one correspondence with each other and the gambler's cards may be substituted for those of the Tarot. The tarot equivalent of the Dead Man's Hand would be the Eight of Wands (swiftness) the eight of Swords (serious misfortune) the Ace of Swords (can connotate sudden unexpected violent force) and the Ace of Wands(a swift new direction your life is going to take).

Or: you are about to receive a very sudden and unexpected violent blow with something either heavy and sharp, or heavy and blunt. Take your pick. Music The Motï¿½rhead song Ace Of Spades refers to this hand: "Pushin' up the ante, I know you got to see me Read 'em and weep, the dead man's hand again" "Rambling, Gambling Willie" by Bob Dylan contains a direct reference to this hand, as well. The Uncle Kracker song "Aces and Eights" is named for the Dead Man's hand. The Bring Me The Horizon song "Alligator Blood" contains a reference to it.

The song "Aces & Eights" from the Lita Ford album Stiletto has the lyrics: "The dead man's hand holds aces and eights" Reckless Kelly's song "Nobody Haunts Me Like You" also makes reference: "...like a shot in the back holding aces and eights..." Brutal DLX also references this in their lyrics: " I dreamed I was the dealer of a dead man's hand..." In the song "Fire Lake" by Bob Seger : "who's gonna play those eights and aces?" Michael McDermott has written a song titled "Aces and Eights". The song says that life can make you feel like: "Looking over my shoulder, holding aces and eights." In the song "Little Wille the Gambler" by Townes Van Zandt: "Willie's cards fell on the floor they were aces backed with eights" "Dead Man's Hand" is the name of the latest album released by metal band Dezperadoz.

Of course it's a Western Metal act, so that's a great name to go with the theme Professional Wrestling The Acolyte Protection Agency ( A P A ), who were usually shown playing cards backstage, would occasionally have the aces & eights on their tights. The biker gang that has been invading TNA as of summer/fall 2012 uses the dead man's hand as their calling card and actually goes by the name of Aces & Eights . Tabletop Games In the wild west supplement to the Munchkin card game, Dead Man's Hand is a curse card that forces you to discard your whole hand. Traveller . Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society magazine #14 adventure "Aces & Eights". A set of playing cards (two aces, two eights and the joker), will, when put in an X-ray machine, create a map to the location of a 20 million credit treasure. The money was the payroll of the 1188th "Aces and Eights" Lift Infantry Brigade. The man with the cards is killed by the bad guys and the cards stolen, and the PCs must retrieve them.

Deadlands : If you cast Soul Blast and draw a Dead Man's Hand, it becomes an automatic One-Hit Kill . Unlike the one mentioned in the trope description, it requires the Jack of Diamonds. The Deadlands Collectible Card Game Doomtown uses poker hands to decide who wins shootouts. The Dead Man's Hand outranks all other hands (unless countered with That's Two Pair!). KenzerCo.'s Western roleplaying game Aces & Eights takes its name from the dead man's hand. Hoyle's Rules of Dragon Poker takes the hand's bad luck to its (il)logical conclusion and kicks any player who uses it out of the game. Video Games In the Fallout: New Vegas expansion "Dead Money", the player can get an achievement for getting the dead man's hand from the deadly, abandoned casino Sierra Madre. In The Curse of Monkey Island , if the player has Guybrush keep losing against King André and then looking at the losing hands, one of the random comments Guybrush will make is "Aces and eights... that can't be good." This being a LucasArts game, Guybrush of course doesn't die... though he does fake his death at one point. Happens twice in the Wing Commander series.

In Wing Commander II, Spirit gets dealt the hand and later kamikazes a Kilrathi-controlled space station. In Wing Commander IV, Vagabond gets the killer hand, and dies later in a mission that goes badly wrong. Bonus points for it being one of the few times the card shark had lost... and to Maniac , no less. Payday 2 has a track called "Dead Man's Hand", fittingly, it's the theme to the Golden Grin Casino heist. Western Animaton In one episode of The Real Ghostbusters , the team was investigating a haunting in Tombstone, Arizona, which turned out to be none other than the Earp Brothers and Doc Holiday. In one scene, Peter played cards with the four of them, and all four of the ghosts had this hand. After Peter ended up with four aces, Wyatt decided that someone obviously had to be cheating, given that it added up to twelve aces. Naturally, that's when Peter decided to make a run for it. Real Life The evidence for Hickok holding such a hand is scant.

The first documentary evidence comes in a letter written by a witness fifty years after the fact, and said letter doesn't specify the suits of the aces-and-eights pairs. Additionally, the phrase "dead man's hand" was attached to several different card combinations in the years after Hickok's murder. See Straight Dope column here . Historical displays in Deadwood, SD, depict the fifth card as the nine of diamonds. Which is also considered unlucky, under the name of "the Curse of Scotland." The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Section use the dead man's hand as their insignia ◊ 1000+ images about Dead Man's Hand on Pinterest | Wild west show, Jokers and Sats Forward August 2, 1876. Frontiersman "Wild" Bill Hickok is shot from behind and killed while playing poker at a saloon in Deadwood, South Dakota.

At the time the cards he was holding were a pair of black aces and a pair of black eights -- since known as the dead man's hand See More Pistol behind phrase 'dead man's hand' goes up for auction: Gun 'Wild Bill' carried when he was shot 150 years ago during poker game expected to fetch $500,000 | Daily Mail Online comments One of a kind: Wild Bill Hickok's Smith & Wesson revolver has added value because he was wearing it when he was shot dead The revolver worn by infamous gunslinger 'Wild' Bill Hickok when he was shot dead 150 years ago is expected to sell for $500,000 at auction. The legendary Smith and Wesson pistol was worn by the lawman in 1876 when he was shot in the back of the head while playing poker in South Dakota. It will be sold at Bonhams auction house in San Francisco in November. The antique piece boasts a .32 rimfire, a six-inch barrel and varnished rosewood grips. The gun comes with documents proving its origins and details of how it passed through generations of the Willoth family in Deadwood.

Paul Carella, Bonhams' arms and armour expert, said: 'Wild Bill Hickok was one of the most iconic figures of the Wild West. 'He was friends with Buffalo Bill and Calamity Jane and was noted as the best quick-draw shooter of his time. 'He was a stagecoach driver, a lawman, a scout - he was everything that epitomised the Wild West. 'He had moved to Deathwood to find his fortune in the gold rush and also to make some money from gambling. Ironically he died at the poker table.' Hickock had a habit of sitting with his back to a wall when playing poker, but on the day of his death, the only spare chair had its back to the door RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share Mr Carella said: 'Following his death his effects were given to the new sheriff who then gave the gun to a family who ran a bazaar yo pay off debts Wild Bill had with them. 'The gun has been in the family ever since. 'It would have been worth about $15, around $500 in today's money.

Scroll down for video Notorious: A friend of Buffalo Bill and Calamity Jane, Wild Bill was known as the best quick-draw shooter of his time and a wily poker player Tribute: The Deadlock bar where Wild Bill was shot and his gravestone show he died in 1876. The cards he has in his hand at the time of this death is now known as a 'dead man's hand' in the game 'It's just a standard Smith and Wesson pistol in average condition that would normally sell for around $2,000 but because of its history we expect it to go for much more.' Mr Hickok was shot dead by 'Crooked Nose' Jack McCall. At the time he was holding two black aces, two black eights and another unknown card, which went on to be known as the 'dead man's hand' in poker. McCall claimed he had shot Hickok in revenge for killing his brother. He was later hanged for the murder. Hickok started calling himself 'Wild Bill' after winning a deadly shootout in 1861.

Wild Bill Hickok - Poker Player Profile Banners Wild Bill Hickok Wild Bill Hickok, whose real name is James Butler Hickok, was a figure in the Old West known as a gunfighter and lawman. He came to the West as a stagecoach driver and then became a lawman in the frontier territories of Kansas and Nebraska. On August 2, 1876, Hickok was shot and killed while playing poker at Nuttal & Mann's Saloon in Deadwood, South Dakota. He had violated his personal rule of not sitting with his back to the door when John McCall walked in unnoticed, walked to within a few feet of Wild Bill, and shot him in the back of the head, killing him instantly. When shot, he was holding a pair of aces and a pair of eights, all black (the value of the fifth card is debated), which has become widely known as the "Dead Man's Hand". Hickok was buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery Deadwood, South Dakota and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1979.

The motive for the killing is still debated - some say McCall may have been paid to kill Hickok, or it may have been the result of a dispute between the two men. At the trial, McCall was acquitted of the murder but was rearrested after bragging about the killing, and a new trial was held. The retrial was not considered to be double jeopardy because, at the time, Deadwood was not recognized by the U.S. as a legitimately incorporated town, as it was in Indian Country. The new trial was held in Yankton, Dakota Territory and this time McCall was found guilty and was hanged on March 1, 1877. The killing of Wild Bill and the capture of Jack McCall is re-enacted every evening in the summer in Deadwood. The "dead man's hand" - aces and eights The "dead man's hand" - aces and eights User Name Liked 16,422 Times in 2,150 Posts The "dead man's hand" - aces and eights On August 2, 1876, Wild Bill Hickock entered the Number 10 Saloon, in Deadwood, Dakota Territory.

He approached the poker game going on at his usual table, but found that the seat he preferred, which would have his back to the wall, was occupied. Reluctantly, he took the only available seat, which placed his back to the bar. Jack McCall was in the the saloon and had been drinking heavily at the bar. On the day previous, he had lost a lot of money to Hickock; Hickock graciously allowed him to finish the game with enough money for a meal, but cautioned McCall not to gamble with him again unless he could cover his bets. McCall snuck up behind Wild Bill and shot him at close range through the back of the head, killing him instantly. Legend has it that Hickock was holding "aces and eights" and one draw card. The claim was that both the aces and the eights were black - spades and clubs. Since then, it's been known as the "dead man's hand." McCall said he did it for revenge because Hickock had killed his brother in Abilene. He was quickly brought to trial and found not guilty - justifiable homicide. The only wrinkle was that in reality, McCall had no brother.

McCall quickly cleared out of Deadwood, being advised by some that the air was very unhealthy for him there. He wound up in Laramie, Wyoming, bragging that he was the man who had killed the legendary Wild Bill Hickock, who had the reputation of being the deadliest man with a gun in North America. It was subsequently decided that the quick trial in Deadwood had no legal basis, as it was in Indian Territory. McCall was arrested for Hickock's death in Laramie. He was found guilty, and was hanged for the murder on March 1, 1877. Calamity Jane grieved for Hickock, the man she loved, and wanted to be buried next to him when she passed on. She was. The picture above shows a S&W number 1 revolver, second issue, on a dead man's hand - still known as bad luck whenever it's dealt. And me - I never sit down in a commercial establishment unless I have my back to the wall. Wild Bill taught me that much! John Likes: 294 Liked 95 Times in 54 Posts Good story. Me, I don't gamble at all.

When I was in the Navy at my last duty station, my roomate would have a poker game every Friday night. He would loose his whole paycheck and borrow from me to get thru the week. Next Friday he'd pay me what he owed and have another game. I watched this for about a year before I left the service and decided I had to work too hard for my money and wouldn't take a chance on gambling. The Following 2 Users Like Post: Likes: 311 Liked 1,185 Times in 454 Posts Saddam Hussein, the Ace of Spades in the Iraq War "Deck of 52" was hanged as were several other military commanders ("Chemical Ali") and Baath Party Loyalists who were convicted by tribunals convened by the RCLO (Regime Crimes Liasion Office) -- the decks of cards were were morale boosters with US troops (who played cards with them while familiarizing themselves with regime figures who were being hunted) as well as with middle-class Iraqi's. Qusay was the Ace of Clubs, Uday was the Ace of Hearts, both were killed in a US raid. M.

Ammash, a biological weapons expert (and the only female in the deck) was dubbed "Mrs. Anthrax". I think that about 40 of the wanted persona's were captured. Not a bad card game for the good guys. COL Jagdog Likes: 2,724 Liked 4,687 Times in 1,998 Posts None of my money will ever be spent in Deadwood, and the reason has nothing to do with gambling. Once during Rally Week, I was sitting on the main drag with a couple of buddies. We watched a Harley with a wheelchair on a sidecar as it pulled up and parked in a handicap spot. The rider pulled himself off the bike and into the chair, rolled down the ramp and went off to join the festivities. A cop had also been watching. He waited until the rider was out of sight, then walked up and wrote him a ticket for no handicap sticker. It was a chicken**** way to treat anybody, much less a paying visitor to the city. Since that time, Deadwood has done away with most on-street parking, another reason not to go there.

Come to think of it, that coincided with the onset of legal gambling, so I guess gambling has kept ne away, in an indirect way. The city has also cleaned out the old houses of ill-repute that were still in operation up until the '90s, replacing them with big motels. I am sure the hookers have not entirely vanished, however. Marshwheeling Liked 16,422 Times in 2,150 Posts Quote: Originally Posted by feralmerril Many years ago I went to downtown hollywood on my full dress harley. I backed into the curb as you were suppose to then. I took a short walk, came back and a very young cop was in the process of writeing me a ticket. When I asked what gives he gleefully put a couple fingers between the rear tire and the curb. Said the tire is suppose to be touching the curb. I wont comment farther as I would get in trouble here. I think there's a word for such conduct - and it begins with "chicken." I was taught in the Army "not to quibble over minutia of form." If I were that officer's superior, I'd ream him a new one.

Good relations with the public are much more important. John Likes: 2,550 Liked 7,025 Times in 3,026 Posts Thanks. You know, that incident was almost 45 years ago and it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth! I never went back to shop or whatever, just drove through a few times. People will judge towns and areas for things like that forever. That cop was close to my age at the time and probley has been retired longer than me. Still, another time in los angeles a few miles away I was once given a big break by the lapd. They could have arrested me. I got in a big fracus where a couple probley illegals t-boned me and ran. Briefly, I ran them down and they again rammed our car another couple times when I had them boxed up trying to get away. I did pull a snub and held them for the police. The driver was wanted. After a few hours at the station questions and reports, they gave me my gun and ammo back and a ride to our car. Today they probley would have jacked the jail up and shoved me under it.

The point is they gave me a brake on a heavy deal, and I suppose the two incidents were 5 miles and two years apart. Luck of the draw I guess. Thanks! feralmerril Likes: 2,550 Liked 7,025 Times in 3,026 Posts I really think the 5th card is lost in history. I have been a western history buff forever and have seen the hand pictured many times. In every version it shows the aces and eights but never the fifth card distincly. Most I have seen hint a red face card. I have read many versions of Mc Calls motives. One was he claimed hickock had killed his brother. But then they say he never had a brother. Another is that hickock had disgraced him by breaking him in a game. Another is he was seeking fame. Another says he was a hired assassin. Probley was a mixture of two. feralmerril Liked 2,119 Times in 909 Posts Quote: Originally Posted by Nick B. Well told , but , what was the 5th card ? I have heard it was a red face card either a Jack or a Queen.

I don't think anyone really does know for sure. I've heard that it was a Jack of Diamonds but I've also heard claims that it was the Queen of Clubs. Other stories say that he had discarded the fifth card and the dealing of a replacement was interrupted by the shooting leaving Wild Bill only the Aces and Eights with no kicker. Just as an FYI, Luke Plummer was dealt the hand in Stagecoach just before being shot by the Ringo Kid as was Liberty Valance just before being shot by Tom Doniphon. Apparently being dealt the "Dead Man's Hand" was not a good career move when John Wayne was around. CW

Question: The two black aces and the two black eights is called the 'Dead Man's Hand' in poker, who is said to have been holding it when he was shot in the back in 1876?
Answer: Wild Bill Hickok